| RAF Wormingford RFC Wormingford USAAF Station 159   .png)  | |
|---|---|
| Colchester,Essex,England | |
 Wormingford Airfield - 10 May 1946 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Royal Air Force station |
| Code | WO |
| Controlled by | Royal Flying Corps United States Army Air Forces Royal Air Force |
| Location | |
  RAF Wormingford Shown within Essex | |
| Coordinates | 51°56′24″N0°47′31″E / 51.940°N 0.792°E /51.940; 0.792 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1917, 1942 |
| Built by | Richard Costain Ltd |
| In use | 1917-1920, 1943-1962 |
| Battles/wars | European Theatre of World War II Air Offensive, Europe July 1942 - May 1945 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Ninth Air Force Eighth Air Force |
| Occupants |  362nd Fighter Group 55th Fighter Group |
Royal Air Force Wormingford, or more simplyRAF Wormingford, is a formerRoyal Air Force station located 6 miles (10 km) northwest ofColchester,Essex, England.
DuringWorld War I Wormingford was a landing ground designated for use by aircraft operating against Zeppelins. Reopened as a military airfield in 1942, it was used by both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and theUnited States Army Air Forces (USAAF). During the war it was used primarily as a fighter airfield. After the war, it was returned to agriculture.
Today, the main runway is used by the Essex and Suffolk Gliding Club, although the concrete has been removed except where the old NW-SE runway crosses.
The landing ground was used by the37th Home Defence Squadron and aRoyal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 based here shot downZeppelin number L.48 on 16/17 June 1917.[1] The landing ground was known as RFC Wormingford.[2]
Wormingford was originally earmarked for an Eighth Heavy Bomb Group, being built by Richard Costain Ltd. and helped by a number of sub-contractors during the period 1942/1943. The airfield had a 2,000-yard main runway on an E-W axis and two intersecting runways of 1,400 yards each along with the USAAF standard fifty hardstands, two T2 hangars, one each side of the airfield, Mark II lighting and temporary building accommodation for 2,900 personnel. The technical area was on the southern side of the airfield and the camp sites dispersed to the south and east in and around the village ofFordham.[1]
However, Wormingford was surplus toEighth Air Force requirements as a heavy bomber airfield and it was used instead as a fighter airfield although initially theNinth Air Force used the airfield.[1]
The airfield was assigned USAAF designation Station 159.[2]
The362nd Fighter Group (362nd FG) arrived at Wormingford fromMitchel Field,New York as part of theNinth Air Force on 30 November 1943 withRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts.[3]
The group consisted of the following squadrons:
The 362nd FG flew its first mission, escortingConsolidated B-24 Liberators that attackedV-weapon launching sites near thePas de Calais on 8 February 1944. Until April 1944 the group engaged chiefly in escortingBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress/B-24 bombers that struck factories, railways, airfields, and other targets on the Continent. The group repeatedly attacked communications in northernFrance and inBelgium during Apr and May, in preparation for theinvasion of Normandy.[5]
The group moved toRAF Headcorn inKent on 13 April 1944.[3]
The55th Fighter Group moved to Wormingford on 16 April 1944.[6] The 55th was under the command of the 66th Fighter Wing of theVIII Fighter Command.[7] Aircraft of the 55th were identified by a green/yellow chequerboard pattern around their cowling.[8]
The group consisted of the following squadrons:[9]
Originally flyingLockheed P-38 Lightnings, then converting toNorth American P-51 Mustangs in July the group attacked gun emplacements during theSaint-Lô breakthrough in July 1944, and transportation facilities during theBattle of the Bulge, December 1944-January 1945. The group also patrolled the air over theEnglish Channel and bombed bridges in the Tours area during theinvasion of the Continent in June 1944. The unit patrolled theArnhem sector to support theairborne invasion of the Netherlands in September 1944 along with strafing trucks, locomotives, and oil depots nearWesel when the Alliescrossed the Rhine in March 1945.[10]
The unit received aDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for eight missions toGermany between 3 and 13 September 1944 when the group not only destroyed enemy fighters in the air to protect the bombers it was escorting, but also descended to low levels, in spite of intense anti-aircraft fire, to strafe airfields and to destroy enemy aircraft on the ground. They received a second DUC for operations on 19 February 1945 when the organisation flew a sweep over Germany to hit railway tracks, locomotives, oil cars, goods wagons, troop cars, buildings, and military vehicles. The 55th flew their last combat mission on 21 April 1945.[10]
The 55th Fighter Group moved toKaufbeuren, Germany on 22 July 1945 as part of the occupation forces.[6] It was assigned toUnited States Air Forces in Europe. While on occupation duty, the group trained with P-51 andLockheed P-80 Shooting Star aircraft. Inactivated in Germany on 20 August 1946.[10]
Legacy
TheUnited States Air Force55th Wing in various designations, has been a front-line unit ofStrategic Air Command andAir Combat Command more than 50 years.[10]
The55th Reconnaissance Group (Very Long Range, Mapping). was activated in 1948 and assigned toStrategic Air Command. Aircraft includedRB-17's andBoeing B-29 Superfortresses and RB-29's. The USAF55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was activated in 1950, and was bestowed the lineage, honors and history of the World War II USAAF 55th Fighter Group in 1952.[6]
The 55th Wing is currently atOffut AFB,Nebraska.[11]
In September 1944, the3d Scouting Force (originally3rd Air Division Scouting Force) was activated at Wormingford. The unit flew a combination of P-47s, P-51s and B-17s on classified missions such as scouting target visibility and reporting meteorological conditions. The unit was inactivated during June 1945.[1]
AfterV-E Day Wormingford was turned over toRAF Technical Training Command and later toRAF Transport Command. Later it was transferred to other government departments until being sold off between 1960 and 1962.[12]
With the end of military control, Wormingford was largely returned to agriculture[2] and much of the concrete broken up for aggregate. A small section of the main runway was retained and the whole of the main runway, largely grass, is now used by the Essex and Suffolk Gliding Club.[13] In September 2026 the lease on the club’s historic airfield will expire and the club is currently seeking a new location.[14]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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